Volunteers share concerns over future of PIFD
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS spend several hours training at the Presque Isle Fire Department each month. Pictured learning how to secure a ladder using a rope to tie the rungs together are, from left: volunteers Nic Davis, Trey Stewart, Robert Deschesne and Jared Leblanc, with instructor Gil Penney.
PRESQUE ISLE — Volunteers with the Presque Isle Fire Department met recently to express concerns over proposed changes to the department, including shifting from a full-time to all-volunteer organization. Their goal is to get the public to attend future Council meetings and let councilors know what their thoughts are on the matter.
For over a year now, City Council has been talking about ways to save money; among the ideas discussed has been dropping from a five-person shift to four which has been implemented. Of late, councilors have talked about possibly going to a three-person shift and are pursuing a program that would offer college students basic room and board, in exchange for their agreeing to stay at the fire station overnight. Councilors are also weighing the option of eliminating the full-time force and going with an all-volunteer department.
Those present at the volunteer meeting represented a wide range of professions, from Maine Public Service, housing maintenance, solid waste/transfer station, MDOT, DEP/Emergency Response, Presque Isle Water & Sewer District, U.S. Customs, McCain Foods and others. Many have been with the department for decades — some 20-30 years. They agreed times have changed, with employers less likely to let workers go when they’re called to a fire.
“There’s a double standard. Full-time firefighters can hold outside jobs, with permission. New hires can’t. But city officials expect volunteers to be able to drop everything to respond to a call. Many of us either aren’t allowed to leave work or, if we do, have to use sick/personal or vacation time to cover the time we’re gone,” said Dave Lovley, who’s a systems operator at MPS.
Finding enough volunteers is also an issue.
“Numbers fluctuate on the standard volunteer force. Last year we had full lines, with 33 volunteers. Now we’re down to 20. It’s hard for people these days, who often have to have more than one job to make ends meet, to fit in the required training and response time,” said Lee Thomas, with DEP/Emergency Response.
Scott Marquis, a U.S. Customs agent, has been with the department for 30 years. He said training takes up countless hours, which can be a major deterrent.
“We have at least four hours of training a month, regular business meetings and then you add the actual calls. The time adds up,” said Marquis.
Gil Penney, with MDOT and former chief of the Topsham Fire Department, serves as a training officer. He said a person has to commit to countless hours of training. Those hours would only increase if the department went to an all-volunteer agency. The tasks currently performed on a regular basis by full-time staff, including weekly equipment checks, would require even more of a volunteer’s time.
“We also have all kinds of OSHA refresher training and requirements,” added Lovley.
Bob Adams, with the Water and Sewer District, noted volunteers also assist with other aspects of the department. “We man the safety trailer at various events, like last weekend’s Fishing Derby or Kiwanis Club activities,” said Adams.
Lovley said Presque Isle’s infrastructure is unlike any other communities in the county.
“It’s like comparing apples and oranges to compare Presque Isle to, say, Fort Fairfield or Caribou. We have two campuses, an airport, a hospital, mall, four-story bank building and buildings on top of each other downtown. We’re also a double township. We respond to more than just fires,” said Lovley. “It’s a complex deal that needs to be considered carefully.”
Marquis noted a recent article in the Bangor Daily News talked about the difficulty departments downstate were having getting volunteers. He said the same would be the case here. He felt it would also be bad for business.
“Presque Isle would be less likely to attract new businesses if they go all-volunteer. Who’d want to open a business and take the risk relying on volunteers who may or may not be able to leave work and get there in time?” asked Marquis.
Penney said insurance ISO ratings would be affected, contrary to what councilors have been told.
“I attended a conference and the ISO person said there are definite insurance savings to residents and businesses in towns where there’s a full-time fire department,” said Penney.
“It’s a decision property owners need to make, whether they want to pay more in insurance or are willing to pay a few dollars extra a year in taxes to keep a full-time fire department,” said Lovley.
Lovley said a good example of the difference a full-time vs. volunteer department can make involved a tractor fire at the Cooperative Extension farm on the Houlton Road about a year ago.
“Randy Smith (councilor who works at the farm) had a tractor fire. A full-time crew arrived and had the fire out in minutes. A few minutes more and that fire could have spread to the buildings. He never mentions that at Council,” said Lovley.
“We need to dispel the fear factor — that we can’t afford the department. It’s all about risks,” he said.
“Public safety is about preparedness. The PIFD responds not just to fires but accidents, spills, meth labs,” said Thomas. “The more you lean on volunteers, the more reluctant prospective volunteers become.”
An interview with Troy Heald — an insurance agent who also serves as chief of the Washburn Fire Department and is past president of the Aroostook County Fire Chiefs Association — provided more information on the benefits and drawbacks of a volunteer department. Speaking on his own behalf, and not as a representative for any department or agency, Heald shared his views on the matter.
Heald said a volunteer department is “initially less expensive for a community, as there are no salaries, no benefits and no shifts to cover.”
“I do believe that the makeup of a community has to determine which type of fire service is necessary. In the three communities we service, there are less than 3,000 total citizens. Presque Isle, on the other hand, services nearly 10,000 total in their city alone. Also, the business level within a community dictates need as well,” said Heald.
“A community that has a business presence will need to provide a full-time service to meet those needs and also to attract potential business as well,” continued Heald. “Are there advantages, maybe, but overall it would depend on the community being served. It simply can’t come down to pure economics.”
He acknowledge one of the difficulties with a volunteer department is retaining interested individuals, making sure they are adequately trained and the inability to respond whenever a call comes in.
Heald said in communities like Washburn it is especially difficult to get volunteers, since so many people work outside the community. From a financial perspective, there’s also little incentive to make such a commitment.
“Given the many hours of training, not counting the calls individuals respond to, many members are making less than a dollar an hour, if they get paid at all,” said Heald. He added that age and health are also factors, since the majority of volunteers are getting older. “Many volunteer firefighters are 45 and older today. Most of the younger individuals get involved because family members are serving or have served.”
Heald said while the two-in and two-out rule states in order to fight an interior fire you need at least four firefighters, that’s actually a misconception.
“Don’t let the name of the rule fool you into thinking if you have four firefighters on a scene, you’re OK. In reality, in order to properly attack a typical residential fire, you need 10-12 at a minimum, more would be better,” said Heald, acknowledging his department has had to delay an internal entry due to lack of firefighters at the initial onset of a call.
“Fortunately there have not been any lives at stake. With all-volunteer, you might not be able to get the timely response needed as firefighters are responding from many different locations — some quite a distance away,” said Heald. “Full-time departments like Presque Isle or Caribou have the advantage of responding with a minimum of four individuals and being able to quickly respond from a common location and know that reserves are on the way, should they get into difficulty. They will have more hands available quicker than volunteer departments will in most all situations.”
